jeudi 7 juin 2018

Amazon Fire TV Cube combines the Amazon Echo and Fire TV into a single device

Amazon and Google have been the two major players in the smart speaker market, but it was Amazon who enjoyed a big lead through most of this time. Data released last month showed that Google was actually able to beat Amazon in overall sales for Q1 2018. This was the first time that had happened and it seems like it has put Amazon on the defensive. Today, the company has announced a new product called the Amazon Fire TV Cube, which combines the Amazon Echo smart speaker, the Amazon Fire TV streaming set-top box, and a universal remote.

This is actually an interesting device and it finally allows Amazon to compete with the various Android TV set-top boxes and smart TVs. While it makes little sense to put this specific device all throughout the house, it can replace a smart speaker in any room with a TV. So just like Amazon Echo devices, it offers hands-free access to Alexa and you get all of the features that are currently offered by the Amazon Fire TV boxes and dongles.

The Amazon Fire TV Cube even supports 4K Ultra HD content up to 60 frames per second, HDR, and Dolby Atmos. The box will be priced at $120 when it launches and pre-orders will begin later today. If you’re an Amazon Prime subscriber you can get $30 off the price (bringing it down to $90) if you place your order today or tomorrow. This seems like a short window for a pre-order discount, but Amazon is known to put their Alexa and Fire TV devices on sale quite often, so look for them to discount this a number of times throughout the year.

The official ship date for the Amazon Fire TV Cube will begin on June 21st, and as of right now, the product is only available to customers in the United States.